Kennebunk Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Kennebunk Beach over the next couple of weeks is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, quiet stretch before anything worth paddling out for shows up, and even then, it’s not exactly gonna be a classic. Let’s break it down.

Right now, the water’s sitting at 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your toes off if you do go for a dip.

The first recommendation doesn’t kick in until the morning of Thursday, the 23rd of July. That’s a long gap of about a week with nothing but poor surf conditions. From now through to the 22nd, it’s all small, choppy, and cross-onshore mess. The few tiny swells we see – like 0.3ft to 2ft – are just not worth the paddle. The wind is all over the place, mostly cross or cross-on, and the energy is weak, with values like 18 and 11. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

Then on Thursday the 23rd, things start to shift. Morning brings a clean 3ft swell from the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds and a light cross-offshore breeze from the ESE. The energy is moderate (120), and the conditions are clean. It’s still small, but it’s the first surfable wave we’ve seen. The afternoon stays clean, but the swell drops to 3ft and the score is still low. It’s a ‘surfable but ordinary’ kind of day.

Friday the 24th is a repeat – morning offers 4ft from the SE with a 7-second period, clean with a light cross-off breeze. The energy bumps up to 173 (moderate). Afternoon goes cross-shore and messy, so the morning is the pick.

Now, hold onto your board for Saturday the 25th of July. The morning is glassy – dead calm, zero wind – with a 5ft SE swell, period of 9 seconds, and energy at 379. That’s a solid moderate pulse. The water’s mirror-flat, and the waves are chest to head high. This is the standout of the whole forecast. The swell direction is from the SE, which matches the optimum ENE direction for this sheltered spot reasonably well, and the glassy conditions mean it’ll be clean as a whistle. Keep in mind, Kennebunk Beach is a fairly consistent break, but it can get crowded sometimes, so get there early if you can. At 5ft, it’s not too big for intermediates, but beginners might find it a bit of a handful.

Sunday the 26th sees a bigger pulse in the afternoon – 7ft from the SSE, period 8 seconds, and the energy rockets up to 828 (strong). The wind is offshore from the ENE, so it’ll be clean. This is the biggest swell of the period, but at 7ft, it’s edging into expert territory, especially on a beach break. The period is short, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and close together. Still, if you’re experienced, Sunday afternoon is your second best bet.

After that, the following week (27th to 31st July) rolls back into small, ordinary surf. Monday the 27th morning has a clean 3ft with offshore wind, but it’s small. Tuesday the 28th is similar – 4ft clean offshore in the morning, but nothing special. The rest of the week is cross-onshore, choppy, and weak, with energy dropping below 100 again. Not worth the wetsuit.

So, bottom line: the best on offer is Saturday morning the 25th of July – glassy 5ft SE swell at Kennebunk Beach. Clean, head-high, and a proper fun session. If you’re an expert, Sunday afternoon the 26th has a bigger 7ft pulse with offshore wind, but it’s a short-period beast. Everything else is a wait-and-see.

Rusty.

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